What is one thing you would like the mfgs. to get rid of?

The cheep electronics!!

It would be nice if the manufactures invested in better quality electronic boards, otherwise nothing.

I like everything, including the traction tires.

Ditto on the cheap electronics.

As I was packing to go to the San Jose Great Trains Expo I came face to face with my biggest pet peeve, all the box variations, and the dumb clam shell packaging. For example there are five (and I am sure more) distinct box sizes for the 6464 (92, 94, 9700 series) boxcars. They range from the almost car size box for the Maine Central 6464 to a box that could hold a Alco or small steam locomotive. Make me want to pull out my already thinning hair out trying to maximize the space in the boxes and in my truck. It would seem to me that a standardized box size would be less expensive for the manufacturers as well.

Regards,

Randall

Yep, I can only get maybe a boxcar or a engine on a rare occasion. And when your a teenager who can't get money other than for your birthday/holiday or your allowance. Well model railroading is expensive, and kids like me can't afford much. The command control stuff I got was hard enough to save up for...

They can get rid of those plastic drive gears on the expensive locomotives! Get rid of those plastic coupler armatures too! I wouldn't miss them.

Cheers,

Ken

COPY THAT!!!!

That's what I had to do when I was a teenager back in the late 1960's-early 1970's.  Count my pennies, save up for what I wanted.  I couldn't afford any of the HO brass back then no matter how much I lusted after them.  Plus, by parental edict, some of my Christmas and birthday money went into my savings account. 

With the exception of the occasional freight car kit, locomotives were out of the question until I saved up the cash.

Even after I got my first job, there were other places for my money to go than all to the hobby shop.  It wasn't until after a few years of working I was able to have what some call "surplus income."

Somehow, both my hobby and I survived...

Rusty

Eliminate complicated electronics that you cannot repair yourself. Also eliminate centralized service centers and make more repair centers available to the masses. Get rid of the hold on spare parts. Make the spare parts available to the masses. Most of us started in postwar and much of the enjoyment of the hobby is working on engines and performing our own repairs.

Ditch the 'Edison' light bulbs and go 100% LED's...engines, passenger cars, accessories, etc.

I'll second the request to ditch proprietary control systems...achieve a standard, as the O2R, HO, N, G folks luxuriate in and can focus on (or 'complain about', as one might) other things...the number of rivets, the diameter of grab iron stock, the accuracy of reporting marks, etc., etc., etc., blah, blah, blah.  You know, all those REALLY important things.

Thumbtack coupler uncoupler thingies that dangle below the cars.

Pink GG-1's.

Just a few that come to mind...

KD

Hard to openboxes and then replace in said box for storage. Dick

Traction tires.

Lose the goofy lookin' third rail...

Jeff C

+1.  Or at least give us an option to swap out the wheel sets!  

Crew talk, cab chatter, tower comm - especially on steam engines, which didn't have radios in the first place. My all-time pet peeve is the crew talk on TMCC engines - if you set up the Station Sounds diner so you can do the automatic sequence of announcements and starting the train, the locomotive talks over the top of the passenger announcements.  Just get rid of that idiotic yammer. I would pay a lot of money for a replacement chip for my TMCC Milwaukee Road 4-6-4 that didn't have any cab chatter on it so I could run the  Station Sounds sequence. 

I will second getting rid of the crewtalk.  It is just plain annoying.

Exactly, and do it before DCC takes over, The 2 way communication in MTHs DCS system, should not be lost!

Electronics that are not rugged enough!

Not sure why so many folks have a problem with traction tires, I think they are a great idea. I guess manufacturers could offer replacement wheelsets to those who don't want traction tires.

1.  Crewtalk

2.  Traction tires

3.  Fantasy paint schemes

Things that don't work.That would be really nice.

Dreamer.

1.  Crewtalk

2.  Non-adjustable drawbars.  Between a steamer and tender, it would be easy to ship a drawbar with a couple of positions.

-The profit motive

-Everything invented after 1970

-Everything that isn't contest-quality-scale-accurate. PROTO:48 for EVERYBODY. Can't fit 150" minimum radius in your home? TS!

(all of the above is sarcasm, BTW)

---PCJ

non user friendly locomotives!!!!

These are suppose to be toy trains.

Ya gotta be a computer geek to run the new stuff.

give me the old post war...........run em fast and furious!!!

traction tires.

Also maybe add the ability to buy a loco kit and assemble yourself then able to reduce price. I am guessing they won't do this as service calls would go up on assembly. HO use to have build kits.

Heavy Sigh;

To get rid of?

Tower comm / crew chatter on by default, Let those that want it turn it on with a button combo/sequence on the controller. Leave it in the engine, just turned off.

Traction Tires ON small engines only.

Plastic drive parts are stupid;

Make a few engines with a clutch drive and minimal electronics - for kids, MARK THEM as such. Leave the Scale and better detailed stuff as it is.

Some points about above complaints;

1) High Prices; Umm when an engine was $50 that was my dads monthly income, nothing new here, kids never could afford trains.

2) Big Wire Tether : Already gone now.

3) Wireless Tether; umm, gotta have something there, your suggestion?

4) Edison Headlight / other light; already in Progress with PS3 engines, needs to expand to lighted cars and other manufacturers.

5) Traction tires, I like them as do others. Pulling a monster consist with my Big Boy is realistic. probably don't need them on a 4-4-0 or switchers tho, I can see that.

6) Wimpy electronics that fail too soon.  Agreed, this can be fixed. I design electronics  for an industrial OEM. Our Products get a 5 year warranty in Industrial applications. That means vibration, dust, temp swings and static electricity like you would not believe. Our products typically exceed 10 years life without issues in 24/7/365 usage. Nothing on a model railroad is that abusive - ever. Spend 5% more on the circuitry and make it last. A TVS on the incoming power connection inside each engine and each Lock-on costs less than a nickle in quantity. And it will stop most of the problems cold. My latest design has 60 of them on the PCB. one on every thing a customer should touch. Every button, pot, jumper, switch, or connection.

Better tape!

When you open the engines for service, the tape they use to hold wires to the body on the inside has turned into a gooey mess! Do they still make good old fashion friction tape?

oversize boxes, it would be nice to buy rolling stock in boxes like those from the 50s. todays boxes are way too big.

..

The prices,How dare a Company make a profit on something!

• I was flamed for this one before, but I'll say it again. Get rid of the fast-angle wheel. Replace it with a flat-tread (or better, RP25 contour) with a 1/16" flange. Will work on tubular track, flat top, and (if properly gauged, 2-rail track.) Insulate one side, but reverse the wheels in the trucks for 3-rail insulated rail use.

• Let's lose the traction tires. They encourage trains too long for the locomotive, are a general pain to change, and gunk up the rails.